Fallout: Fangs of Fenrir
by 117Jorn
Summary: The lone wanderer was not the only person who walked out of Vault 101. He had friends, many friends who left with him. This is the journey of the Vault Dwellers of Vault 101, as they evolve from being a group of newbies from the Vaults... into wasteland legends who will change the Capital Wasteland forever... (Expect LEMONS in future chaps)


**Disclaimer: We do not own the fallout universe. If we did, we'd be working on Fallout 4. **

**AN: Okay, first off I am saying this: I am currently focusing on Across the Galaxy, I just posted this because me and Ryu have been working on this for a while, and its first chap is finally complete. Don't expect too many updates in the future. **

"Speaking"

"_Radio Speak_"

'_Thinking_'

"**Super Mutant/Robot Speaking**"

* * *

**Chapter 1: Leaving the den**

* * *

_War. War never Changes. _

_Since the dawn of humankind, when our ancestors first discovered the killing power of rock and bone, blood has been spilled in the name of everything. From god, to justice, to simple psychotic rage. The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth, Spain built an empire for its lust for gold and territory, and Hitler shaped a battered Germany into a economic superpower. _

_But war never changes. _

_In the 21st Century, war was still waged over the resources that could be acquired. Only this time, the spoils of war were also its weapons. Petroleum and Uranium. For these resources, China would invade Alaska, the U.S would annex Canada, and the European Commonwealth would dissolve into quarrelling, bickering nation-states, bent on controlling the last remaining resources on this planet. _

_In the year 2077 AD, after a millenium of armed conflict, the storm of world war had come again. However the destructive nature of man could sustain itself no longer. In two brief hours, most of the world was reduced to cinders, plunged into an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation. _

_But it was not, as some predicted, the end of the world. Instead, the Apocalypse was merely the prologue to another bloody chapter of human history. For man had succeeded in destroying the world, but war… war never changes. _

_In the early days, thousands were spared from the horrors of the nuclear holocaust by taking shelter in massive underground bunkers… called Vaults. But when they emerged, they found only the hell of the wastes to greet them. But from those ashes of nuclear devastation, new civilizations would struggle to arise. _

_All except for Vault 101. For on that fateful day, when nuclear fire rained from the sky, the giant steel doors of Vault 101 slid close, and never reopened. It was here they were born, and it was here they would die. Because in Vault 101, nobody enters, and no one ever leaves... _

* * *

**Washington D.C **

**Vault 101**

* * *

"As far as I can tell, you two are both perfectly healthy. So yes, you are both going to school. So hurry up, you got G.O.A.T's to take."

A young man looking to be about 16 sighed as he scratched his head. "Dad, you and I already both know that I'd end up being on the security force, hell, even the Overseer knows it, even if he doesn't like me," he informed, his heterochromatic left green eye and right gold eye looking at his dad from behind a pair of dark sunglasses. "This is just a joke…"

"I know, I know," The man said, who appeared to be in his fifties with short brown hair and green eyes, wearing a Vault lab coat "But that's just the way things work here. Believe me, its not nearly as bad as you two think it is."

"It just seems pointless," The second person sitting next to the young man said, who appeared close to the same age, pushing her shoulder length crimson red hair back behind her shoulders. "You know as good as everyone in the Vault that I've been training to be a doctor for _ages._ Why go to school to learn something I already know?"

"Its just not my call Allana, Ryu." James Hisanaga said, shrugging. "Its the Overseer's - and even he's sending Amata to do her GOAT. If she needs to do it, _everyone _does."

Ryu let out a depressed sigh as he stood, closely followed by Allana. "Well, might as well get this over with," he announced. "Later, dad."

"Good luck!" James said, as the two walked out of the doctor's office, and headed down the hallway towards class.

"Sometimes, I hate it down here..." Allana muttered, "It feels like the same thing over and over, and nothing changes… and it certainly doesn't help that Amata's dad just can't seem to keep his nose out of everyone's business."

Ryu hummed in agreement. "I've always wondered, is it really as bad as the Overseer says up there," he questioned, looking up to the ceiling. "I mean… it's been over 200 years since the nukes were dropped, shouldn't it be getting better by now?"

"It should… if what me and Ratchett learned about Radiation is true," Allana said, "But the Overseer just keeps on saying the Vault doors will not open." she shook her head "But, I guess there isn't much we can do about it..."

"I guess," Ryu agreed with a sigh as they came up to the hallway of the classroom.

"I said: Leave me alone!" A voice shouted out angrily.

"Heh, come on you two. I can show you what a _real _Tunnel Snake looks like..."

"Butch, if you touch me one more goddamn time, I will _fucking castrate _you!"

Both Ryu and Allana sighed, as they turned a corner and saw a somewhat familiar sight. Three men dressed in leather coats which read 'Tunnel Snakes' were attempting to harass a pair of women. Key word being 'attempt'. As standing their ground was a girl about Ryu's age at 16, with short brown hair tied up into a small knot, and brown eyes wearing a simple Vault 101 Jumpsuit. She was Amata Almodovar, a friend of Ryu's and Allana's since they were kids.

However standing next to her was a woman who had mid-back length black hair, and silver colored eye standing close to about 5'9", and unlike Amata, was wearing the utility version of the same Jumpsuit. She was Deborah "Ratchet" Marks, among the best mechanics in the Vault, and also infamous for her knack for explosives.

"You brats keep this up, I'll show you how damaging cherry bombs are when ignited up your ass!" Ratchet angrily shouted. "Believe me, I am more than capable of it!"

Ryu sighed "Well, let's keep Ratchett from killing butch I guess..." he muttered, and Allana giggled a bit as he moved up behind Butch.

"Butch..." he whispered, causing the Tunnel Snake leader to freeze, "What did I tell you _last time,_ about messing with _my _team?"

The wannabe gangbanger turned his head slowly to see Ryu standing directly behind him, hands in his pockets as he glared at him from behind his sunglasses. "Y… You ain't the boss of me!" Butch shouted out angrily. "No one is the Tunnel Snake's boss!"

Ryu remained unmoving, before he sighed slightly "Butch… I will give you _five seconds_ to leave… before I _remind_ you just how sharp my knife is." He said, as he slowly pulled out a _very _large trench knife from his pocket.

Butch gulped, until finally he got the message "L-let's roll Tunnel Snakes!" He said, as he and his two fellow 'Tunnel Snakes' retreated.

Ryu let out a snort as his knife disappeared back into his pocket. "You alright there, Amata, Ratchet?" he asked in concern.

"We're fine, though I could've taken him." Ratchett said with a smirk, and Amata sighed.

"I'm good… assholes..." she muttered, "I just wished they would just leave us alone… "

"Sooner or later they'll either grow up, or get put into the slammer," Allana informed with a huff. "Most likely the slammer though."

"If we're lucky," Amata said with a small giggle, "Come on, gotta get to class and get this damn G.O.A.T out of the way."

The three G.O.A.T takers sighed as Ratchet laughed at them. "Don't worry, it's easy, hell, Tank got Laundry Cannon Operator from his and they just ended up throwing him to the Vault Security."

"Yeah yeah, let's just get this over with..." Ryu muttered, as the three teenagers walked down the hall, and soon found themselves in the small classroom where their teacher, Mr. Brotch, awaited them.

"Well, look who made it." Mr. Brotch said with an amused smirk, "All ready for the G.O.A.T? Trust me, its not all that bad. Its just something we all have to go through."

Ryu rolled his eyes. "Let's just get it over with," he requested with a sigh as he took a seat behind Amata and in front of Allana.

"Well, now that everyone has found the classroom, we can get started." Mr. Brotch said, "No talking, and keep your eyes to yourselves. Unless anyone has any questions beforehand, let's get started." He quickly began to hand out the papers to the rest of the class, Ryu sighed as he took his '_Let's get this over with._' he thought.

_Question 1: _

_You are approached by a frenzied Vault scientist, who yells, "I'm going to put my quantum harmonizer in your photonic resonation chamber!" What's your response?_

_A.) "But doctor, wouldn't that cause a parabolic destabilization of the fission singularity?"_

_B.) "Yeah? Up yours too, buddy!"_

_C.) Say nothing, grab a nearby pipe and hit the scientist in the head to knock him out. For all you knew, he was planning to blow up the vault._

_D.) Say nothing, but slip away before the scientist can continue his rant._

Ryu circled the D portion of the test, a smirk on his face, meanwhile Amata circled B and Allana circled the C option.

_Question 2:_

_While working as an intern in the Clinic, a patient with a strange infection on his foot stumbles through the door. The infection is spreading at an alarming rate, but the doctor has stepped out for a while. What do you do? _

_A). Amputate the foot before the infection spreads._

_B). Scream for help_

_C). Medicate the infected area to the best of your abilities_

_D). Restrain the patient, and merely observe as the infection spreads _

Ryu rolled his eyes as he circled C along side of Allana while Amata circled A.

_Question 3:_

_You discover a young boy lost in the lower levels of the Vault. He's hungry and frightened, but also appears to be in possession of stolen property. What do you do?_

_A). Give the boy a hug and tell him everything will be OK_

_B). Confiscate the property by force, and leave him there as punishment_

_C). Pick the boy's pocket to take the stolen property for yourself, and leave the boy to his fate_

_D). Lead the boy to safety, then turn him over to the overseer_

Ryu sighed as he circled A alongside his two friends.

_Question 4:_

_Congratulations! You made one of the Vault 101 baseball teams! Which position do you prefer?_

_A). Pitcher_

_B). Catcher_

_C). Designated Hitter_

_D). None, you wish the vault had a soccer team_

Ryu sighed once again as he circled the A while Allana circled D and Amata circled C. '_What is up with these goddamn questions…_'

_Question 5: _

_Your grandmother invites you to tea, but you're surprised when she gives you a pistol and orders you to kill another Vault resident. What do you do?_

_A). Obey your elder and kill the Vault resident with the pistol._

_B). Offer your most prized possession for the resident's life._

_C). Ask granny for a minigun instead. After all, you don't want to miss._

_D). Throw your tea in granny's face._

All three of them resolutely circled D in answer.

_Question 6:_

_Old Mr. Abernathy has locked himself in his quarters again, and you've been ordered to get him out. How do you proceed?_

_A). Use a bobby pin to pick the lock on the door_

_B). Trade a Vault hoodlum for his cherry bomb and blow open the lock_

_C). Go to the armory, retrieve a laser pistol, and blow the lock off. _

_D). Walk away, and let the old coot rot. _

Ryu actually paused for a moment before circling A for an answer while Allana circled C and Amata circled D.

_Question 7: _

_Oh, no! You've been exposed to radiation, and a mutated hand has grown out of your stomach! What's the best course of treatment?_

_A). A bullet to the brain_

_B). Large doses of anti-mutagen agent _

_C). Prayer. Maybe God will spare you in exchange for a life of pious devotion._

_D). Removal of the mutated tissue with a precision laser _

Ryu and Allana both circled B confidently as Amata circled the C option.

_Question 8: _

_A fellow Vault 101 resident is in possession of a Grognak the Barbarian comic book, issue number 1. You want it. What's the best way to obtain it?_

_A). Trade the comic book for one of your own valuable possessions_

_B). Steal the comic book at gunpoint _

_C). Sneak into the resident's quarters, and steal the comic book from his desk_

_D). Slip some knock out drops into the resident's Nuka-Cola, and take the comic book when he's unconscious. _

Ryu smirked as he circled C, Allana's shoulder were obviously shaking before him as she circled D while behind him Amata circled B.

_Question 8: _

_You decide it would be fun to play a prank on your father. You enter his private restroom when no one is looking, and..._

_A). Loosen some bolts on some pipes. When the sink is turned on, the room will flood_

_B). Put a firecracker in the toilet. That's sure to cause some chaos_

_C). Break into the locked medicine cabinet and replace his high blood pressure medication with sugar pills_

_D). Manipulate the power wattage on his razor, so he'll get an electric shock next time he shaves_

Chuckles actually managed to work their way from his throat as he circled B, Allana, smiling at Ryu's laughter circled C while Amata circled D with a rather… scary grin.

_Question 9: _

_Who is indisputably the most important person in Vault 101: He who shelters us from the harshness of the atomic wasteland, and to whom we owe everything we have, including our lives?_

_A). The Overseer_

_B). The Overseer_

_C). The Overseer_

_D). The Overseer_

All three groaned in response as they randomly circled an answer before standing up and heading for Mr Brotch. "Well, let's take a look at your results, shall we?" he questioned as he looked through the tests. "Let' see, Ryu, a Vault Loyalty Inspector? Thought they phased that one out a long time ago, Allana, Vault Physician, no surprise with that one and Amata you are to be put into Vault Security, congratulations."

"Thank god _that's _over with..." Amata muttered, and Mr Brotch chuckled.

"Alright, alright, let's get everyone else's tests," He said, "Once you do, you can all have the rest of the day off to celebrate - or Pray, as the situation warrants."

Ryu sighed as he and his friends stepped out of the classroom. "You guys hungry?" he asked as they walked. "'Cause I sure am…"

"Plenty," Allana said smiling, "Come on, the others should all be in the Cafeteria waiting for us. Man am I glad this things over with..."

"I know, and I bet I only got the Vault Security because of my dad," she complained as they got underway. "Did you know he tried to sit in on my _physical!_"

Allana winced slightly in sympathy "You're dad _really _has some problems, you know that, right?" Allana asked, "Hell, none of our parents go that far..."

Ryu grunted. "Dad has Jonas do my physicals actually," he informed. "And I agree with him."

However the sound of loud booming laughter caused them to drop their conversation, as they approached the Cafeteria. The three entered, and saw Ratchett was already there, along with two of their other friends, Fredric "Tank" Siegler and Fred "Brain" Nelson.

Brain was a bit on the scrawny side, but that wasn't to say he no muscle - it was required for their little group. Standing close to 5'9" with short jaw-length rust red hair and amber colored eyes. Fitting with his nickname, Brain was a 100% bonafide genius, capable of hacking into computers unlike anyone else in the Vault, and was capable of coming up with several nifty items and upgrades for their own Pipboy 3000's.

On the opposite side of the table - and being flanked by a pair of rather attractive women - was Tank - arguably the tallest and strongest man in Vault 101. Standing taller than Ryu at 6'7", weighting 315 pounds with not an ounce of fat, and having crew cut blond hair, and grey eyes wearing his own Vault 101 Security guard armor.

"Hey guys!" Ryu called out as they approached. "Trying to play what you believe to be charms again, Tank?"

Tank grinned cheekily, his arms held around the two women who both blushed slightly "Trying?" He asked, "I think I'm being quite successful here, Ghost. How'd your 'exams' go?"

"Loyalty supervisor," Ryu announced as he sat down across from Tank. "And did he tell you about the time he got stuck in a bathroom stall?"

Both of the girls giggled slightly, and Tank growled a bit "Hahaha, very funny." he muttered, glancing at Allana and Amata "How 'bout you two?"

"Vault Physician, like there was any doubt." Allana said with a satisfied smirk.

"Vault Security," Amata said, with a small roll of her eyes, "If you saw some of the answers I picked, I doubt you'd want me in security though."

Ryu snorted. "I think mine is just your dad's attempt a keeping me in check," he informed Amata. "Like that's ever worked."

"What _does _the Overseer got against you and your dad anyways?" Brain asked with a shake of his head, "Your dad's probably saved more lives than any other doctor we've had in the past. And thanks to you, we've been the only ones keeping Butch and his 'Tunnel Snakes' in check."

Ryu shrugged. "I honestly have no idea," he informed. "Think it has something to do with how my mom died, although dad is as talkative on that as he is why the Overseer hates him."

"One of these days we'll find out why," Ratchet said with a shrug "But, let's not worry 'bout that now. Yo Andy! Where's the food?"

"Coming right up!" The Type I Mister Handy robot said, as a mechanical whining was heard.

"Andy, _try _not to mess this up to!" Ryu shouted, "I still remember what you did to my cake on my tenth birthday!"

"I _said _I was sorry..."

"And I still don't believe you, I mean really, a rotor saw for a _cake?_" Ryu questioned. "We need a better cook in here." The others all laughed at that, until thankfully Andy came - with the food still intact.

* * *

**Three Years Later**

* * *

Ryu, now close to twenty years old, was in bed, having a very lucid dream. However just moments later, he was violently awaken, as he heard what sounded like someone shouting over him.

"Wake up! Come on Ryu, Wake up! You _need _to wake up!"

"Wha…?" he questioned as he slowly blinked his tired eyes open to spot Amata standing over him with a panicked expression and alarms ringing around, next to him in his bed was Allana. "Amata? What's going on?"

"Ryu, you gotta get out of here, my father's men are looking for you!" Amata shouted. "T-They already killed Jonas! Now they'll be coming for you!"

"What?" Ryu asked as he sat up, stirring Allana from her slumber. "What do you mean they already killed Jonas? Why are they looking for me?"

"It's your father!" Amata said, "I don't know how but… but he _left the Vault._ Then Officer Mack killed Jonas because they though he helped him!"

"Calm down, Amata," Ryu said soothingly as Allana came to full consciousness. "What do you mean, my dad _left _the vault? How did he do that? Why?"

"I don't know! He somehow managed to open the main door, and left the Vault!" Amata said, "My Father… I've never seen him so angry. Listen to me - if the guards find you, they _will_ kill you!"

Ryu grinned. "Hey, it's me we're talking about here," he joked. "They couldn't find me if I were wearing black in a white room and I were right in front of them."

"Now is _not _the time to be joking Ryu!" Amata shouted, "My Father's men will be here any minute! Listen, there is a secret tunnel that leads directly from my Father's office to the exit. You'll have to hack the computer in his office to open it." She then handed him a few bobby pins "Use these to get into his office - its how I always get in."

Ryu nodded as he pocketed the bobby pins. "I will," he assured. "Now, if you don't mind, turn around so me and Allana can get dress?"

Amata blinked, before finally - after calming down somewhat after everything that has happened today - had realized that neither Ryu nor Allana were wearing much of anything… causing her head to dart away, while blushing up a storm.

Ryu sighed as he grabbed his pants and pulled them on as Allana did the same, the two of them completely dressed within a few minutes. "Amata, we're ready," he informed her. "What do you plan on doing?"

"My dad is probably going to start looking for me..." She said, "Maybe… I can buy you some time… here." She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a N99 10mm Pistol along with some ammo. "I stole this from my Dad's room, you're gonna need it."

"Thanks, Amata," Ryu said gratefully. "I'll be sure to aim for non lethal hits, unless they're really trying to kill me…"

"Right… good luck Ryu," Amata said, before she turned and left their room.

Ryu looked over to Allana who nodded, picking up the Police Baton that Ryu had in his room from his 'job'. "Ready, Allana?" he asked.

Allana gulped a bit, but nodded "Yeah… we gotta find the others, and get out of here." She said.

"We'll be fine, Allana," he assured, giving her a quick, reassuring kiss. "Now, let's see if we can get out of here."

She nodded, as the two of them quickly left Ryu's room. However not two steps outside, and they were interrupted by a loud shout of "There you are!" Causing both of them to turn down the hall, and spotted officer John Kendall down the hall "Stop right-" however he was cut off as what appeared to be a rather large swarm of Radroaches appeared down the hall, forcing him to turn his Baton against them "Gah! Damn Radroaches!"

"This way," Ryu directed as he and Allana darted into the bathrooms and moved around Kendall and the Radroaches. However not even two seconds after avoiding Kendall, the two were quickly confronted by Butch - who had a pure panicked look on his face.

"R-Ryu! Y-You gotta help me!" He shouted, "The Radroaches! They're- they're gonna get my Mom I-"

"Butch… if only you knew the meaning of Irony," Ryu informed with a sigh, looking over to Allana who nodded. "Let's get this over with quickly."

Without even letting Butch finish, the two rushed past him as they entered the room, where they found Ellen cowering in a corner, as Radroaches attacked her, biting and clawing at her VaultTech Jumpsuit. Ryu acted quickly, as he pulled out his Trench Knife and stabbed the first Radroach right where its head connected to the rest of its body, dealing with it quickly, while Allana used her Baton to beat the second Radroach just as quickly until it was unmoving. Ryu finished off the last Radroach by stopping on it, which was followed by a sickening crunching sound as the last Radroach died.

"Mom!" Butch shouted, as he ran in and hugged his mother, glad she was safe. "Oh god thank you! I don't know how I can repay you… here," he took off his Tunnel Snakes jacket, handing it to Ryu "Take my Jacket, its all I can give ya. I know it probably doesn't make up for all the things I've done to ya, but… just take it, alright?"

Both Ryu and Allana blinked in surprise, as Ryu accepted the Jacket '_Well, it does have more pockets than the Jumpsuit..._' he thought, as he put the Jacket on.

Moments later, the two walked out of Butch's room… but they were quickly spotted by Kendell - who had already dealt with his Radroaches "You two! Come over here now!" He shouted, as he ran towards them with his Baton at the ready…

...only for the metal door to slam shut between them almost on its own, followed by a soft 'bang' as Kendell slammed into the door, cursing out loud. Both Ryu and Allana blinked in surprise.

"Hu?" Allana asked, before a soft chuckle was heard behind them, as they turned and saw Brain standing there, with his Pip Boy 3000 at the ready. "What would you two do without me?" He asked with a small smirk.

"Probably have to fight our way through, get so covered in blood and guts people would think we're cannibals," Ryu commented. "Have you seen the other's, Brain?"

"Tank's just up ahead with Officer Gomez - don't worry, he's with us." Brain said, "I haven't seen Ratchet yet though, she's gotta be around here somewhere though..."

"Damn," Ryu muttered as he looked around. "We're near the Clinic right? Maybe my dad left a clue there or something on where he went…"

"Same place it's always been," Brain said, gesturing ahead "We'll meet Tank on the way, let's go."

Ryu and Allana nodded, as the three of them rushed up the next flight of stairs, where they came across the sight of Officer Gomez, Tank, and Andy fighting another group of Radroaches… though they were quickly dispatched as Andy used his built-in flamethrower which quickly roasted the oversized pests.

"Ryu!" Tank shouted, wearing the Vault 101 Security armor, with a 10mm Pistol in his hand "Allana, glad to see you're all fine!"

"You to Tank, Officer Gomez." Ryu said nodding.

"The whole Vault's gone crazy..." Gomez muttered, "You're lucky we found you first… you all need to get out of here, I'll just pretend I didn't see you!"

"Thanks Gomez," Ryu said with a small smile before he turned to the door, leading to his Dad's clinic. "But first I gotta check for something… "

Ryu took a look around as he stepped into the clinic, frowning at the mess before his eyes settled on a safe where the frame of his father's favorite quote used to hang. "Revelation 2:10 - I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him the that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely"

Frowning Ryu quickly looked the safe over before pulling out a bobby pin Ryu picked the lock on the safe and seconds later it was opened with Ryu taking a look inside.

'_What the…?_' He thought in confusion, as there were only two things inside the safe. An audio disk, and a small bag, Grabbing both, he looked and saw that the bag… was full of Bottlecaps.

"Bottlecaps?" Allana asked, confused. "You're dad collected them?"

"I don't know..." he muttered, before he looked at the audio tape, and seeing that it did not appear very long, he opted to play it as he placed it in his Pip boy, the tape titled "Home Sweet Home." He pressed the play button, and was soon greated by his father's voice.

"_Well, here we are. Nestled all safe and snug inside Vault 101._" James's voice said, "_It's so cold down here… colder still with Catharine gone… oh, Catharine… I wish you were here with me. How the hell am I suppose to do this myself? Live down in this hole. Take care of our child… but this is our life now, so I guess I'd better get use to it. The Overseer who runs the place is an overbearing bully, but I've dealt with worse._"

"What the hell?" Ryu asked, his forehead creasing as he considered the words on the tape. "From the sound of this… I don't think my dad is from the Vault… neither am I for that matter…"

"What?" Tank asked shocked, "How's that possible? The damn thing hasn't been opened since the bombs first dropped!"

"That… is a question that deserves an answer… _later._" Brain said, "Right now, we need to find Ratchet, and get the hell out of here."

Ryu nodded as he slipped the tape into a pocket along with the bag of caps and stepped out of the clinic. "Where is she likely to be?" he asked. "I know she wasn't scheduled for a Reactor Shift…"

"She's probably in the Atrium's maintenance area," Brain said, "She's probably the one responsible for locking down most of the doors down here."

"Let's hope so," Ryu said, as the four of them stepped out of the clinic, over the burnt corpses of Radroaches, and down the hallways. A minute later, they soon found themselves in the Atrium, a large room with two floors which acted as the hub for most of the hallways of the Vault. Overlooking the main area of the Atrum was the Overseer's office. However they soon found they were not alone, as two people they knew - Tom and Mary Holden - were also there.

"Don't you see?" Tom exclaimed, neither of them noticing the four of them entering. "This is our chance! We're getting out of here, just like the doctor!" Before Ryu could make their presence known, Tom ran down towards the hallway near the end of the Atrium, shouting his name and to "Let him through." However, moments later the shout was silenced by a short burst of gunfire, which rained out of the hallway. Mary screamed in horror, running in after him to try and save him, only to be met with the same fate.

Allana gasped in shock, and the other's eyes were wide as well. "Oh… oh god..." she muttered, not knowing how to handle what she just witnessed. "They… just shot them… they didn't even hesitate, they just..."

Ryu pulled her into a hug for a few short moments before separating and pulling out the 10mm Amata gave him and clicked the safety off. "Tank, on me," he ordered in a soft whisper as the two began moving towards where the two guards were stationed, quickly ducking to the other side Ryu stacked up against the door the opposite side of Tank. Holding up a hand he counted down from three and when he formed a fist the two of the swung into the door and emptied nearly an entire clip into two guards.

"They're down." Ryu muttered, as they turned around the corner, approaching the bodies. While Tank moved to confiscate their weapons and ammo along with the body armor of the guards, Ryu spent the time closing the lifeless eyes of Tom and Mary.

'_Rest in peace, friends..._' he thought, before he stood up, Tank handing him and Allana the bullet-proof vests which they quickly strapped on, along with giving her and Brain the two spare side arms he collected. "Come on, let's keep going."

The three nodded as they headed into the maintenance passageway, hustling past a corner they came up short when they spotted Ratchet, sitting atop a toolbox with a pipewrench in hand and three unconscious guards around her. "Yo, you took your sweet ass time," she called out to the quartet as they rounded the corner. "These three got to me before you did!"

Ryu chuckled, shaking his head "Sorry we're late," He said, as he reached out his hand, helping Ratchet up to her feet "Good to see you're alright, Rachet."

"Hey, remember who you're talking to," she said smirking, before she frowned. "But we got bigger problems - Officer Mack caught Amata and took her in. Considering what he just did to Jonas… "

Ryu growled "Like hell I'm gonna let her hurt Amata," he said, "Come on!" The team all nodded at that, as they quickly made their way down the halls once more, coming up to the Officer station, where they all heard the distinct sound of crying. Ryu's eyes narrowed, as he told the others to crouch down as he peaked through the window, and saw Amata sitting in the chair, with her Father and Officer Mack confronting her.

"Be reasonable Amata," The Overseer said, "Officer Mack may enjoy this, but I don't. Just tell us where your friend is so we can talk to him."

Amata spoke between sobs "He's my friend Dad...t-they all are..." she said, "I… I just wanted to help them… what do they have to do with _this _ anyways? They didn't do anything!"

"That's exactly why you need to tell me where he is," The Overseer said, "So we can _talk _to them. Nothing more."

However, Amata grew silent, and the Overseer sighed. "Again, once more Officer Mack." He said.

Mack raised his baton, "I think you need to learn some Respect!" He shouted, smacking her in the face on the last word, she cried out for him to stop, only for him to smack her again.

Ryu was moving before any of them even realized he was gone. Seconds later his bowie knife was buried into Mack's spine, the officer shouting in surprised pain as Amata and the Overseer staring at him in shock as he seemed to appear out of nowhere. Ripping his knife from the back of the officer he stabbed him once again in the lung before allowing the man to drop as he turned onto the Overseer, his knife leaving his hands and cutting the bindings holding Amata as he punched the Overseer.

"You wanted me… here I am." Ryu growled, "You sick, twisted bastard."

To his credit, the Overseer did not visibly flinch "I hope you and your friends came here to turn yourselves in," he said, "You've caused a lot of-"

He didn't finish, as Ryu punched the Overseer once again in the gut. "Shut the FUCK up!" He shouted, "Do you have _any _Idea what you've done? Dozens of people are _DEAD _because of you! Tom! Marry! Your own Officers, and god knows who else, Radroaches are running around like crazy, and to top it all off… you let Mack _HIT YOUR OWN DAUGHTER._"

"I put the Vault's protection over everything else," The Overseer said, after regaining his breath "Even… parental feelings…we must not let sentiments… cloud our judgement."

Ryu growled as he grabbed his knife that was buried in the ground and pressed it up against the man's throat. "Yeah? Your judgement wasn't clouded when you ordered the death of JONAS! When you told your DOGS to KILL me!" he shouted out. "Cause they BETTER have been clouded when you told Mack to TORTURE YOUR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD!"

"If you truly did care about them, you would realize just how dangerous your father's actions were," The Overseer said, after gulping a bit with the knife at his throat. "J-Just have you and your friends turn over your weapons and surrender, to many lives have already been lost thanks to the Radroaches and… certain individuals."

Ryu growled. "They shot first!" he informed in anger. "I didn't even know about what the fuck my dad was doing! He didn't even give a hint we were from the surface! Something you SAID was inhabitable!"

Amata and Rachet looked surprised at Ryu's statement, while the Overseer's eyes narrowed. "So, you found out." He said, "Yes, the Vault was open… _once,_ and we let you and your father in… a mistake I will not make twice. Guards! Help-" However he was silenced as Ryu delivered one final punch to his head, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious.

Ryu panted as he seemed to struggle with himself. "Throw him into that cell before I do something I will _never _regret," he growled out as he visibly restrained himself from killing the man.

Tank didn't need to be told twice, as he pulled the Overseer over, and tossed him into the cell as urgently as he could. "Sorry… you had to see that Amata..." Ryu muttered, as he tried to calm himself down.

"Its… Its alright..." Amata said, while Allana quickly checked over the area where Mack had hit her "Its just… this is all so messed up..."

Ryu nodded as he closed his eyes and breathed evenly, forcibly calming himself. "Amata, come with us," he requested, getting a surprised look from the woman. "It's not safe here anymore, surely you can see that?"

"Its… its a tempting offer..." Amata said, "But… the Vault is gonna need me more than you guys… I want the chance to talk some sense into my father..."

"Amata, your dad just had you _beaten!_" Ratchet exclaimed, "He's responsible for the deaths of at least a dozen people here! Ryu had him at _gunpoint_ and he barely even flinched!"

Amata her lower lip, glancing away "I… I don't want to be selfish..." she muttered, "I feel like this place needs me… A lot of people here might need my help..."

"Amata," Doc whispered as she hugged her friend. "Please, come with us," she requested. "We couldn't stand it worrying about you every day, wondering if your still alive, if… if you father hasn't gone over the deep end and had you killed… we just couldn't stand that."

"Amata… we've always considered you a part of our group," Brain said, "Leaving you behind… it would be as if we left behind Tank, Allana, or Ryu!"

"I don't know what life is like out there, Amata." Ryu said, "Could be easy, but I'm not optimistic on that… but after everything that's happened in there… I think the best thing for Vault 101 is if we _all _leave, give the Vault some time to settle down in our wake. And then maybe… someday… we can come back, after we've found my Father."

Amata looked torn, as she glanced at Ryu, and then back at her Father in the cell, who was still unconscious. She knew that no matter what she chose, it would change her life forever… and after that, there would be no turning back. However, the more she thought about it… the more she couldn't stand simply leaving Ryu and the others to go out into the waste on their own. They were her friends after all. And if she couldn't change her Father…

"I…" she spoke up "I'll… I'll go with you."

Ryu and the others smiled at her as they hugged her, one by one, before getting serious. "Right, let's get to the Overseer's office," Ryu said as they began to move. "This key I 'liberated' from your father should open _something _interesting."

They nodded, as they passed into the room which lead to the Overseer's office, however they all stopped, and several gasps were heard as they looked on the ground, and saw the lifeless corpse of Jonas, beaten and battered from Mack's 'Interrogation'.

Ryu let out a small growl, before he kneeled down, and closed Jonas's eyes. He searched his pockets for anything useful, however he was surprised as he picked up what appeared to be another audio tape.

'_Another?_' He thought, before he placed it in his Pip boy, as he pressed play.

"_Hang on Jonas, I need to record this first._" The voice of Ryu's Father was heard once more, "_I... I don't really know how to tell you this. I hope you'll understand, but I know you might be angry. I thought about it for a long time, but in the end I decided it was best for you not to know. So many things could have gone wrong and there's really no telling how the overseer will react when he finds out. It's best if he can blame everything on me. Obviously you already know that I'm gone. It was something I needed to do. You're an adult now. You're ready to be on your own. Maybe someday things will change and we can see each other again. I can't tell you why I left or where I'm going. I don't want you to follow me. God knows life in the vault isn't perfect, but at least you'll be safe. Just knowing that will be enough to keep me going._"

Jonas then spoke on the tape. "_Don't mean to rush you, Doc, but I'd feel better if we got this over with._"

"_Okay. Go ahead._" James said, "_Goodbye. I love you._"

Ryu clenched his fist as his eyes narrowed. "I'm going to smack him one," he announced with a sigh. "My dad is so goddamn Naive sometimes…"

"But first, we gotta find him." Allana said, "Come on Ryu… Overseer's office is just up ahead."

Ryu nodded, as he stood back up as they headed down the hall again, and moments later Ryu picked the lock to the door, and they all walked right on in.

"Brain, get the computer." Ryu said, Brain nodding as he dashed for it. "Get whatever info you can from it, and then open the passage to the Vault Door."

As Brain nodded and moved to start hacking the terminal, Ryu moved to the locker and used the key to unlock it and opened to reveal a small cache of weapons. "Ho-ly crap… Looks like the Original Overseer was a gun collector…" Ryu announced as he pulled out a preserved M24 Sniper Weapon System from the 21st century.

"Nice," Rachet said with a smirk, "What kind of ammo does it use?"

Ryu quickly looked it over, ejecting the clip and checking the ammo. "Looks like it's been modified to use standard .308 rounds," he informed after a few moments. "They were pretty thorough about it."

"Well, grab whatever ammo he's got," Brain said from the Terminal, "I'm in, and downloading all his dirty little secrets into my Pip boy… alright, done. Door's opening." Moments after he said that, the Overseer desk rose up from the ground, revealing a hidden passage beneath it.

Ryu quickly grabbed up several boxes of .308 ammo before passing out the boxes of 10mm and .32 ammo. "Let's move," he called out as they began to move.

The group moved down the passageway one at a time, with only a Radroach or two in their way which were quickly eliminated. A minute later, the group of six stood before the massive gear-shaped door of Vault 101, a control panel to the side.

Ryu sighed, as he approached the console. "Here goes nothing..." he muttered, before he pulled the switch. Yellow lights flashed on, as an alarm went off. From the door behind them, they could hear the Vault 101 Security guards try to break through the door, but failing as the large mechanical arm reached out, and magnetically attached itself to the door.

"Oh my god..." Amata whispered, as the Vault door scraped open with a loud screech of metal on metal, as the arm pulled the door inward, before it detached, and the door rolled to the side, revealing the small cave before them.

However, what caused them to gasp was as they peeked forward, they saw the long dead corpses of _humans _at the door as well, some of them wielding signs which read 'Let us in!' or 'We're dying you Fucks!'

Ryu looked down at the skeletons. "Sorry," he whispered to them before straightening his shoulders. "Well, guess it's time to see for ourselves what it's like out there, huh? If any of you wanna turn back now-"

"Bullshit." They all said together, with a few smirks causing Ryu to chuckle.

"Right..." he said, "Well… let's go before those guys get through the door."

The others all nodded, as they stepped forward, walking over the door and into the tunnel. Though the security guards managed to get through the door, they cowered at the idea of stepping out of the vault, and effectively said 'screw it' as they focused on sealing the door, as it began to close behind them.

Ryu reached out for the small door which now stood between them and the outside. "Here it goes," he said, as he swung the door opened, and for a few moments, he and the others were blinded by the bright light of the sun, causing them to shield their eyes.

They each walked out of the cave, allowing their eyes to adjust to the new light. Once they had, they managed to get their first good look at the outside world…

"Dear god..." Amata spoke, her voice just above a whisper. They have all heard stories of what the world outside the Vault would look like after the Great War. But never could any of them have imaged the devastation they now witnessed. Nothing but a waste of sand, dirt and rock as far as the eye could see, with shattered buildings in the distance made of broken concrete and metal. Far off to the distance, they could see the ruins of the city of Washington D.C itself, with the Washington Monument and Capitol Building still in sight, both looking just as broken as everything else around them.

"Too be expected I guess," Ryu whispered solemnly. "I think that anyone surviving this is a miracle all in itself."

Allana nodded in agreement, her hand entwining with Ryu's seeking solace in his grasp. "It just seems so… hopeless…" she breathed out. "So… sad…"

"So..." Rachet said, after a minute of taking it all in. "...where to now."

Ryu glanced towards the ground, no tracks of any kind "Well… I… don't know..." he said, "There's not much we can do to track Dad..."

"Hang on, what about this?" Brain asked, pulling out his Pipboy. "I still got the data from the Overseer's Terminal… he did say the Vault was open once before, maybe we can find something useful in it?"

Ryu nodded in agreement as Brain transferred the data to their own Pipboys. "Megaton?" Ryu questioned as he looked through the reports. "Seems to be a settlement close to what _used _to be Springvale…"

"We'd best try to find it." Allana said, "It can't be to far… let's head to Springvale and see what we can find there, maybe there's something we could salvage or trade there?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Amata said, "We don't really have much to bargain with aside from old Pre-war money… and I doubt anyone uses dollar bills in a post-apocalyptic world."

Ryu nodded "Alright, let's head for Springvale, and find Megaton." He said, "Keep your heads on a swivel guys… we have no idea what to expect out here."

They all nodded, as they proceeded down the small pathway, making their way towards the small destroyed town of Springvale. However, as they did so, they were completely unaware that they were being watched. Several hundred meters away, two figures lied prone over a ledge, wearing camouflage Ghillie suits making it very difficult to make them apart, but both armed with scoped Sniper Rifles.

"Well, what do you know..." The first with a male voice said, "Vault 101's finally opened up again… "

"They don't look very prepared..." The second one, with a female voice said, "Very bare minimum weapons and armor… they don't appear to have much in supplies..."

"The guy with the Rifle must me their leader," The male one said, "Looks like they're heading for Springvale. They should find the sign for Megaton there."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" The female said, with a small giggle, "Let's be their welcoming committee… cover me." She then began to crawl backwards, as she began to remove her Ghillie suit. As she removed it, she showed her to be a woman about 19 years of age, with long shoulder length crimson red hair, and emerald green eyes standing close to 5'11", and her rather sizable… assets bordering large C-cup to low D-Cup. Under the suit, she was wearing a sleeveless short black vest, over a white muscle shirt and with an exposed midriff and black trousers tucked into black army boots. Strapped to her back was an R91 Assault Rifle, a 9mm pistol strapped to her hip, and a Trench Knife holstered on her opposite hip.

"Amy..." The male said in a warning tone, but the woman rolled her eyes.

"Relax Jaden," She said, as she walked down the ridge. "I've got this… plus I've got you covering me."

Jaden just sighed "Just be careful," he said, "I've got you covered, but don't take any risks."

Amy simply smirked as she walked down the ridge, and silently approached Springvale and the newly emerged Vault Dwellers.

"Where'd the rifle guy go?" she whispered as she spotted one of the Vault Dwellers missing, the other's continuing on like nothing was wrong. She glanced around, but she could not see him anywhere.

'_He might be scouting… _' Amy thought, '_He certainly did look like the type..._' She shrugged, '_Well, might as well introduce myself._'

She stuck herself out of cover, keeping her weapons holstered, raising her hand showing she wasn't looking for a fight. "Hey! You guys from that Vault, aincha?"

The Vault Dwellers all spun around in surprise upon seeing Amy, for a few moments they were silent, before one of the women spoke up.

"Uhh… yeah… we are..." Allana said, "And… you…?"

Amy smiled "Name's Amy, Amy Takeo." She said, "Me and my bro live in Megaton, small settlement from here. We were scouting the area, looking for any nearby Raiders till we stumbled 'cross you. You look awfully lost."

"Looking for Megaton actually," the largest one informed, eying the woman suspiciously. "What is you want from us that would have your friend up there pointing a sniper scope at us though, not that it'll do much good at this point."

Amy blinked, glancing back at where Jaden was. Like usual, she couldn't see him with his camo…

...then there was a small flash of a Flash Bang grenade going off, followed by a shout. "Oi! Where did you come from!" Jaden's voice rang through, followed by some kind of scuffle.

She blinked again "So _that's _where he went..." Amy muttered, "Gotta admit… no one's ever found Jaden when he's in full Camo… not even _me _unless he wants me to…" She then turned back to the Vault Dwellers, smiling again "Sorry, but my brother is a bit protective… he wouldn't of shot unless you threatened me."

The older red head shrugged in response. "And Ryu won't kill him unless he forces his hand," she informed. "But he better sit still, Ryu's on a bit of a… hair trigger right now."

Amy sighed, as she glanced back "Jaden! You alright up there?" She shouted back.

There was a short pause, before the response came "Fine!" Jaden shouted back, "But… could you wrap things up down there so this guy doesn't try to cut my neck open? Or else I'm gonna have to take some drastic measures here..."

"Just calm down!" Amy shouted back, "I have a feeling these guys had a bad day!" She then glanced back, "I'm gonna go off on a limb here and assume you didn't leave 101 by choice?"

"Not really," the smaller male informed. "Ryu's father left without warning and the Overseer went mad, and we were caught in his crosshairs."

"Oh… damn..." Amy muttered, "That sucks… well, odds are that if he left, the first place he'd probably go is Megaton - it is the closest settlement here."

"Then that's where we're going," A voice behind them said, as Amy turned to see Ryu walk towards them, along with Jaden - a young man with short spiked black hair, and crimson red eyes standing close to 5'11 wearing a Large black armored vest over dirty white T-Shirt, brown bandoliers, brown cargo pants, tucked into shin-high army boots.

"God damn you punch like a Super Mutant..." Jaden muttered.

"And you kick like a Mule," Ryu said with a smirk, "Sorry 'bout that, but had to make sure you weren't gonna hurt the others."

"Don't worry, I'd probably had done the same..." Jaden said, before glancing at the other Vault Dwellers "Yo! Jaden Takeo's the name, folks round here call me Hunter though, and let me and Amy be the first to greet you to the Capital Wasteland!"

"I'm Allana Fortier," Allana said in greeting. "Most call me Doc though."

"Fredric 'Tank' Siegler," Tank inputted with a nod.

"Fred Nelson, also known as Brain," Brain informed.

"I'm Ratchet, or Deborah Marks when people are feeling formal," Ratchet grumbled out.

"Ryu Hisanaga," Ryu said, extending his hand out to Jaden, who shook it. "Though you can call me Ghost if you want."

"Yeah, I can see why..." Jaden muttered, "Never woulda thought anyone was capable of spotting me when we're in our Ghillie suits… let alone sneak up on me..."

"I'm just a natural at it," Ryu said with a smirk, "So… how far is this 'Megaton' place?"

"Just a little ways that-a-way," Jaden said, pointing towards the north. "Come on, we'll go ahead and take ya there."

Ryu nodded as he and the others fell into step alongside them. "Must be hard to survive in this wasteland," he commented. "With the fallout irradiating everything."

"Oh, you have _no _idea..." Amy muttered, "The entire water supply has been irradiated, making drinking the water _shit._ Purified Water is pretty much considered gold out here… "

"I just find alternatives," Jaden said, as he pulled out some type of glass bottle. "I just stick with Nuka-Cola… I don't know what these guys did to this stuff, but it tastes as if it just came out of the factory…" he then cracked it open and took a swig "...plus, every time you open one, you get one cap richer!"

"Caps?" Rachet asked in confusion.

"Ah, right… Vault dwellers..." Jaden said, as he showed them the Bottle Cap. "You see, out here, since Pre-war Dollars are basically useless and worthless to most, people had to come with alternate forms of currency… and Bottle Caps are considered the primary form of currency out here. You can use Nuka-Cola caps, or pretty much any Caps you can find."

"So that's why dad had that sack of caps," Ryu mused. "Tell me, have you ever heard of someone named James Hisanaga?"

Jaden thought about it for a moment, "James Hisanaga..." he muttered, "Well… the name _sounds _familiar, but I can't say for certain. But if your dad is or passed through Megaton, we'd best check up with the Sheriff… or Moriarty." He groaned at the Latter's name.

"Moriarty?" Ryu asked. "Something wrong with the guy?"

"Aside from him being a piece of scum?" Jaden retorted with sarcasm, "He may talk nice, but trust me, he is NOT your friend. He's got several people in Megaton in debt to him, the greedy bastard… if it wasn't for the fact he technically hasn't done anything _illegal_ I'd of shot him already."

"I have a few methods of persuasion available to me," Ryu informed with a grim smirk. "I think I can convince him."

"Ryu, no offense, but if me, Amy _and _the Sherrif couldn't make him budge, we'd have done it alright." Jaden said, sighing. "Though you're welcome to Try… I just want Amy to stop helping Nova out of her debt."

"You _know_ I don't mind, Jaden… Speaking off…" Amy smirked as she glanced at Tank, fluttering her eyes _very _suggestively, "I'm sure you must be _so tired_ after escaping that Vault… maybe I can… help you with that?" She leaned forward slightly, allowing a _very_ good view of her breasts.

Tank coughed slightly as a bit of red dusted his cheeks as the others chuckled. "For all his capabilities of picking women up, Tank is helpless when _they _come on to _him._" Rachet said with a smirk.

"So…. your sister she's..." Ryu muttered to Jaden, who sighed, nodding.

"Yeah… I blame her hanging out with Nova so much," He said, "Though she's taken it to a _whole_ new level… granted, her… _antics_ have helped Megaton out several times before… she's sometimes called the 'Black Widow' of Megaton."

Ryu shrugged. "Sometimes all it takes is for the eyes to stray from the knife at their back," he commented. "Not many women willing to do so though…"

"Amy is the exception..." Jaden said with a sigh, "I don't know _where _she's learned most of this stuff… it first started off trying to help Nova get out of debt, and she taught her a thing or two… then it evolved into something _completely _different."

"Awww~, you _know_ they love me for it," Amy said with a satisfied smirk, "Few more Jobs, and Nova should be debt free… assuming Morty doesn't up her debt _again._"

Ryu's eyebrow rose. "So, this asshole takes advantage of the debts to get free labour?" he asked with a slight frown.

"Pretty much, yeah." Jaden said, "Though most people have to turn a blind eye since… as much as we hate to admit it, he's got a lot of Support and Resources for the town… even though he's running drinks, chems, girls and games out of his Saloon."

"I see, tell me, what exactly constitutes legal ownership in Megaton?" Ryu questioned, an odd glint in his eye. "Do you have things like Deeds of Ownership and the such like?"

"Not really..." Jaden said, "I mean… we kinda have that for individual houses I suppose…though the Sheriff, Lucas Simms, is in charge of the Law and Order in the town..." he looked forward and smiled "Ah! There it is!"

Before them lay what looked to be a massive scrap heap piled up together, with some catwalks and girders lining it, two huge pieces of metal attached to a pulley system separated the walled town from the rest of the world. "Interesting," Ratchet muttered. "Whoever designed this was a crafty fella."

"It was actually founded by Morty's dad, believe it or not." Jaden said, as they approached the front gate as the turbine engine above powered up, raising the gate door open. "When he died, Moriarty inherited his wealth, and built the walls around it…. _before _he became a total jerk."

"I see," Ratchet mused as she eyed the gate. "How long did it take to build it?"

"'Bout a year I think," Jaden said, shrugging. "I didn't quite care about how long its been up, but it has been keeping the damn Raiders out ever since… here's hoping they don't actually grow brains and try to attack with heavier gear." He then chuckled a bit bitterly "Then again, I doubt any of them want to run the risk of accidentally detonating the bomb."

"Bomb? What Bomb?" Amata asked.

"The town's called 'Megaton' for a reason," Amy said with a small smirk, "There's an Atomic Bomb smack dab in the center of town, story is a plane crashed, causing the crater to form in the first place, and that bomb by some miracle never detonated. Though its still very much alive."

"A live Nuclear Bomb?" Ratchet asked, her eyes glazing over as drool began to leak from the corner of her mouth. "You must let me have a look at it! I'll even disarm it for you! Just let me inspect the bomb, _please!_"

"Ehh… thanks but… another problem with that." Jaden said, "You see… we got a church in town… the Children of Atom who… they basically worship the damn thing. They think when an atom splits, a universe is created… so they think the Great War was really some messed up Holy Event. I don't quite care for 'em, since they haven't done anything _crazy,_ but they do help the town a bit with the tech and manpower they've got… and I don't even want to _think _about what they'll do if someone threatens that bomb of theirs."

Ratchet's eyes watered as they seemed to enlargen. "I… I… I can't…" she sniffled out. "Tinker with Mr. Nuke?"

Jaden shrugged, as they walked into the town "You're welcome to try," he said, "But if Cromwell and his lacky's start chanting you as a Heretic or 'Diffuser', then you're on your own."

Ratchet let out a squee of excitement as she wiggled her hips happily. "I don't think she's been that happy since the day she was allowed to work on the Vault's reactor," Brain informed. "_That_ was a scary day as she began to talk about overclocking it…"

"Well well," A voice said, as the group looked ahead, and saw a man approach them. He was an African American man in his late thirties or so, with brown eyes and a brown beard, with a classic Sheriff attire finished off with a star on his chest. "Haven't seen Jumpsuits like those in a long time. Looks like you've been picking up more than scrap metal and loot, eh Hunter? Widow?"

Jaden smirked a bit "Its what I do, Sheriff." He said, and the man Chuckled.

"I suppose so," he said, before he turned to the group of Vault Dwellers. "Name's Lucas Simms. But folks around here call me Sheriff."

"I'm Ryu, or Ghost, and with me are Tank, Ratchet, Brain and Doc," Ryu informed. "And I take it the last time you saw these type of jumpsuits was a few years back?"

"Yup," Lucas said nodding, "Close to 20 years actually, few people from the Vault came out. But after a while, they closed back up again… though I've got a feeling that even though you're here, you didn't leave your Vault by choice? Jugging from the gear you've got."

Ryu shook his head. "Not completely," he informed, digging around his pockets before pulling out a photo. "Have you seen this man recently, his name is James, he's my dad."

Lucas looked at the photo for a moment, squinting his eyes. "Hmm… Actually, he _does _look a bit familiar..." he said, "Couple of days ago, some guy came into town, headed straight for Moriarty's Saloon. I'd ask him, see if he knew anything… but don't expect he'll give you information for free. He may talk nice, but Moriarty is _not _your friend."

"Hmm, I am aware," Ryu informed a glint in his eye. "Anyplace where we can pick up supplies and crash for the night?"

"That'd be Craterside supply," Jaden said, "Moira's got the best gear Megaton has to offer. As for a place to crash..." he shrugged "You guys could stay at mine and Amy's place."

Ryu raised his eyebrow. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Jaden and Amy both shrugged "Sure," he said, "Granted we don't have a lot of room, but its better than nothing." He smiled a bit "'Sides, the only other place with a room is Morty's… and _that's_ only if you want to share it with either Nova or Amy."

"Fair point," Ryu agreed as they began to move into the town, off to the right side where a building was seen with 'Craterside Supply' written on the side. "So… will we be able to get a fair deal here for equipment and supplies?"

"Trust me, you'll get good deals." Jaden said nodding, "Moira doesn't price most of her stuff very high. Heck, if you want to help her finish her Wasteland Survival Guide she's probably give ya a discount."

"Wasteland Survival Guide?" Doc asked curiously. "What's that?"

"She's been working on a guide to help Wastelanders survive out in the Wasteland," Jaden said, "I helped her out in her earlier works...but I haven't had much time to help out as much as I have before. Plus some of her work involves some rather… risky jobs."

"How risky are we talking here?" Tank questioned. "Papercut risky, or three husbands chasing you with pitchforks for banging their wives risky?"

"Like walking into a Minefield with an enemy sniper crazy, getting Radiation Sickness Crazy, or infiltrating a Raider-controlled Supermarket for supplies crazy." Jaden said with a sigh. "I'm amazed I _survived _the first chapter of work..."

"Huh, that is kind of Hazardous… does she pay danger pay at least?" Doc asked, a concerned look on her face. "And I feel like I should give you two a full physical after hearing that…"

"Don't worry, she's made sure we survived." Jaden said with a bitter chuckle, "She had plenty of Rad-away and Stimpacks ready for us when we got back."

"Still, I think I should give you guys a once over," Doc informed, her eyes narrowing as she took on a 'Defy me if you dare' tone. "That much damage is _not _healthy for the human body, not to mention anything _else _you may have gotten into."

"We're _fine,_ we had our own local doc check us-" Jaden began, before Amy elbowed him to be quiet.

"Sounds good," She said with a smirk, "I don't mind taking another _full_ physical… Doctor's always right, right? "

Doc flushed slightly, swallowing tightly before speaking again. "Yes, and I am sure that the local doctor is qualified, but I am also sure he doesn't have the same medical supplies I do that I raided from the Infirmary before we left," she informed. "So you better not squirm or I may decide I need some blood samples."

"Of course… let let me know if you need _anything _else, Doc." Amy said, her smirk never leaving as they approached Craterside Supply.

Doc coughed slightly as she went red at Amy's suggestive tone before straightening herself and entered into the store with the others. "Right… I'll keep that in mind…"

As they entered, they were soon greeted by a woman wearing a type of jumpsuit, with short red hair and brown eyes. She glanced up from behind the counter and smiled "Oh, Jaden! Amy!" She said, "Glad you stopped by! Who are your friends? Oh… are they from that Vault?"

Jaden nodded "Yup, they are." He said, "Guys, this is Moira Brown, owner of Craterside Supply, and a good friend of my family."

"Hello," Ryu greeted before going around with introductions before he spotted what looked like a reinforced Vault 101 Jumpsuit. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Oh! You noticed?" Moira said, "Its a little parting gift the first people who came from your Vault gave me! They didn't have much caps, so they traded in some spare Vault-Tech Jumpsuits. I've kept this one, and upgraded it into an Armored Vault Jumpsuit. Gives you a _lot _more protection than the average suits."

Ryu looked it over carefully before turning to Moria. "You accept custom orders?" he asked, pulling out the pouch of caps his father had. "Cause we got caps."

"Oh of course!" Moira said cheerfully, "I always like working on new things! Just tell me what you want for it, and I'll see what I can do!"

Ryu nodded. "Can you do it with an urban camo scheme and get me a flack vest?" he asked curiously. "I'm sure the others have some ideas…"

"Of course!" Moira said, "I'll just need your Vault suits, and I can get working on them! Don't worry, I can loan you some of the clothes I have here in the shop till they're ready. I could have them done in a few days, depending on how many of you want them."

"Thank you," Ryu said gratefully. "We appreciate it. How much would it cost?"

"Oh, this time its on the house," Moira said, "Consider it my 'welcome to the Wasteland' gift."

Ryu blinked before giving her a grateful smile. "Thank you," he said. "In that regard, what do you have in regards to supplies and that?"

"I've got a little bit of everything," She said, "Ammo, weapons, food, and anything traders sell me. Everything a new wastelander needs to survive."

"Any survival gear?" Ryu asked. "Rope, tents, canvas bags?"

"Of course!" Moira said, "Plenty of them actually, a lot of wastelanders come in to buy them, so I try my best to keep them in stock since they aren't that expensive or difficult to craft."

"About five tents than, forty meters of rope, six canvas bags, and we're going to need medical supplies as well, Stimpacks, Med-X, RadAway, Rad-X… any other kind of medication you have?" he asked.

"Hmm..." Moira thought, "Well, I could give you some Jet, and Buffout among other things… though keep in mind that they are notorious for being highly addictive like Med-X. So if you did, I'd suggest getting the same chem's Church uses that purge addictions from the body."

"Don't worry, other than Stimpacks and RadAway, I'm the one who handles the meds and chems," Doc informed with a smile. "I ain't letting Ryu become a junky."

"Ah, good then!" Moira said, "I'll get the stuff all ready… normally it would be pretty pricey, but I can give ya a discount, I doubt you have many Caps having just now come out of the Vault."

Ryu gave her a thankful smile as he pulled out his pouch with the caps. "Here's what we got right now," he informed. "About… five hundred caps if I counted them right."

"Hmm… " Moira said, "How does… 150 Caps sound?"

Ryu glanced at Jaden and Amy, who both shrugged "Hey, its a fair deal in our books." Jaden said, "Considering how many caps you _do _have, you'll have plenty to spare."

Ryu nodded as he counted out the caps and handed them over. "Thank you," he said gratefully. "You guys mind dealing with this stuff?" he asked the others. "I'm going to go have a… _word _with Moriarty."

"We can take care of it," Tank said nodding, "Nothing we can't handle."

"Amy, you show 'em to the house," Jaden said, "I'll show Ryu to Morty's."

"Thank you," Ryu said with a small smirk. "Is there a secondary entrance of some kind?"

"Yeah, back door entrance." Jaden said, as the two walked out of Moira's shop. "But he keeps that locked up pretty tight."

The other Vault Dwellers began laughing. "Oh please, Ryu would pick the lock for the Reactor for fun," Ratchet informed. "Then as a prank he'd break into the jail and Overseer's office and repaint them, _while _the Overseer was asleep in the room."

Jaden rose an eyebrow, as he glanced at Ryu "What are you planning…?" he asked suspiciously, but with a small smirk.

"I need to take a look through the bar, without being noticed," Ryu informed. "If Moriarty is as bad as you say he is, he'll have _something _I can use to _persuade _him."

"Good luck with that," Jaden said, as they walked towards said bar. "Nova told me he keeps most of his biggest secrets on a computer in the back room if that's something you're looking for."

Ryu grinned, "Looks like it's time to test your slicer you gave me, Brain," he murmured to himself as he checked his pip-boy for the program. "Also, you _might _want to be seen somewhere else, just in case."

Jaden nodded "Alright," he said as they stood outside the saloon. "I'll head back and help the others… just be careful… I don't even want to _know_ what Moriarty will do if he caught you on his Terminal."

Ryu simply grinned as he seemed to simply vanish as he stepped into a shadow. "Who says he will?" Ryu's voice echoed out before he walked off.

Jaden simply sighed, shaking his head as he walked back to craterside supply '_He's crazy..._' he thought, with a small smirk, '_They're gonna fit in here perfectly._'

* * *

**With Ryu - Rear entrance to Moriarty's**

* * *

'_Talk about simple,_' Ryu thought as he quickly picked the lock to the back entrance of the bar and slipped in, entering into what looked like a small bedroom. hearing the talking in the bar ahead Ryu quickly stepped up to a Terminal, quickly connecting his Pipboy to it he activated the program as was into the computer and copied all the data to his pipboy. '_Definitely some good material in here…_'

As he continued looking through the content however, one thing caught his eyes. A personal log entry titled under 'slavers'. Ryu opened the file and began reading.

"Those Slavers and Raiders over by the old school have been causing a bit of trouble - raiding caravans for supplies - namely explosives. If I had too guess, they're probably trying to mine into that Valut James and his kid hunkered down in. I could care less, but their raids are just making it harder for the Caravans to get here - I need to get drinks from somewhere!"

"Thankfully, I've managed to work out a bit f a... Mutually beneficial deal. When fine lasses pass through Megaton, I slip a little something the Slavers cooked up to intoxicate e'm quicker. I take e'm too an old shack, and get 'em nice and drugged up. Give 'em enough and they'll do anything. I give the new whores too the Slavers, they give me a nice bit of Caps and Drinks too keep the place running. What ones they don't take to Paradise Falls get sent to the Raiders at the school in exchange they let a Caravan through every now and then."

"That Takeo girl Amy might fetch for a nice price - I've made a fortune off of her and Nova.. Hell the little slut might actually enjoy it. I also saw some new Vault Dwellers come out of that there Vault a few minutes ago, three fine girlies with 'em. I think the next few week are going to be VERY profitable."

Ryu's eyes narrowed as he let out a small growl, his eyes darting to the door for the main bar area as only one thought went through his mind - murder. Standing up he contemplated his choices on how to go through with it as he fingered his knife, he didn't really want to get anyone else involved, but he also wanted to ensure that the _scum _paid for his crimes, a smirk worked its way onto his face as he stepped into a shadowy corner, noticing the sun starting to set - why go to him when he'll come on his own.

And sure enough, as soon as the sun touched the horizon he could hear the accented voice of Moriarty shout something to the bartender before stepped into his room/office and made a beeline for his bed.

Before he could throw himself onto his bed he froze as he felt something sharp press up against his back, his eyes going wide before a sharp stabbing sensation emanated from his groin region, causing him to let out a high pitched scream before it was swiftly silenced by Ryu running his blade along his throat, dropping a sheet of paper he stepped out of the bar just as what looked to be a decaying man and a blonde haired woman rushed into the room.

Ryu made his way through Megaton towards the house that Jaden had directed him towards, upon arriving he knocked on the door. Once it opened, Jaden was there to greet him.

"Ah! There ya are!" Jaden said, "The hell took ya so-" however he stopped mid sentence as he saw the look I Ryu's eye - a look he had seen plenty of times before - the look of a man who made a fresh kill "Okay, what the fuck happened over there?"

Ryu smirked slightly as he stepped in. "You'll probably find out soon enough," he informed mysteriously. "Oh, and here, found something you might be interested in on Moriarty's computer, here, take a look for yourself."

Jaden accepted the note, as he lead Ryu inside the home. It was…a bit on the small size Ryu would admit, it was two-stories with just a couch, a few chairs and in the back he could see a kitchen.

"If your sheriff is half as good as you say he is, he should be here soon enough," Ryu informed as he took a seat on the couch. "I did pick up some info that my dad's on his way to a place called Rivet City."

"What did you find out?" Amata asked, as Jaden began reading through the content of the notes.

"Seems like he's heading over to a place called Galaxy News Radio, inside D.C." Ryu said sighing "Well, we have a good lead, but first-"

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL?!" Jaden shouted in absolute, pure rage as he tossed the note to the ground. "THAT LYING CHEATING MOTHERFUCKING IRISH SON OF A BITCH!"

"Jesus, Jaden." Amy said, as she skimmed through the contents. "I haven't seen you that pissed… since…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes began to widen as she looked further down, before they narrowed as her fists clenched. "Ohhh, you mother fucking asshole..." she growled out.

"Don't worry about it," Ryu told them as he slung his arms over the back of the couch and reclined a bit, his eyes closing. "He's in no position to do anything now."

"That _asshole _was drugging up girls, and selling them as _sex slaves_! And he had Amy and your friends next up on the chopping block!" Jaden shouted, drawing several gasps from Ryu's friends. "How did you-" He paused for a moment as he recalled hearing a strange scream a while ago, initially thinking it was just a random wanderer outside Megaton. But thinking about the timing… "...ohhhh, okay then." Jaden said, as he let out a sigh of releaf before he smirked a bit, sitting down. "Well… I guess I owe you big time, Ryu... I never thought I'd live to see the day Morty got axed."

"So am I," Amy said with a rather… sluttery smile. "If there's _anyway _I can repay you - and I mean _anything _\- just let me know."

Ryu just waved a hand absently. "No worries, actually, not my first time doing something like that, and definitely not my finest work… there was a body for them to discover."

"Remind me never to piss you off..." Jaden muttered, "But anyways, my offer before still stands - Ya'll are welcome to stay here for as long as you need… and I can help get ya'll ready for the Wasteland."

"Get us Ready?" Brain asked, and Jordan sighed.

"Look… You've all got skills, I admit that." He said, "Between Ryu's insane stealth skills, Allana's medical expertise, your Computer skills, Ratchet's engineering and Tank's brute strength, that alone gives you all a distinct advantage here… but believe me: The wasteland is filled with fucked up ship unlike anything you've seen. Super Mutans, Death Claws, Raiders, Slavers, Talon Company, Death Claws, Miralurks, and who knows what else."

"You may have the gear from Moira to survive supply-wise… but you need more than just some camping gear, some food and medical supplies, and a handful of 10mm Pistols and ammo." He said, "You need experience, you need to be _trained _to survive out here… and we can teach ya, and I think we now have a good target to not just test your skills… but also get ya some more supplies, and rid us of a major problem."

Jaden picked up the note again "It says here Moriarty was working with the Raiders and Slavers over by the Springvale school." He said, "The Sheriff always wanted to clear them out, but we never had the firepower or manpower to do so… but now with you, we might be able to not just clear e'm out… but make sure they don't have a school to reoccupy later. I have some C4 charges I nabbed from some Talon mercs a while ago, we can use them to flatten the school so it can't be used as a base again… assuming we can put them at the right places that will do the most damage. And before we blow it, we can scavenge the bodies and the place for new weapons, ammo, and whatever else the Raiders got held in there."

"So, what do ya say?" Jaden asked with a smirk. "Want in?"

Ryu looked at the other former Vault Dwellers who all nodded in agreement. "Alright then," he declared as he sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. "What's the floor plan like, entry points, choke points, the such like?"

"Can't say, all I know is that there are two entrances." Jaden said, "The front door, and the huge gaping hole along the side… the front door usually isn't guarded actually… at least not on the outside. But the hole always has about half a dozen raiders guarding it, armed with .32 Pistols, Combat Shotguns, and Assault Rifles usually… maybe someone wielding a nail board or golf club when they get desperate."

Ryu scratched his chin a bit. "Well, for entry that can be handled by myself and Ratchet," he informed. "Outside of me, she's the only decent sneaker in our group."

"Decent by Ryu's scale is good enough to slip into a bank vault unseen during work hours," Amata clarified. "Which is kinda… hard to do."

"Alright, but once you're in - you're basically on your own." Jaden said, "We have no idea how many more Raiders they could have inside… from the size of the school, they could have platoon's strength held up in there."

Ryu tapped his finger lightly on his arm as he considered their options. "Then we need to be quick about it, use the explosives to take care most of them when it goes off," he informed. "I'll get in first, start causing a distraction away from the key points, then you can get in, plant the explosives and get out."

"Alright." Jaden said nodding, "If you get enough guards at the hole entrance to go inside, we could strike, and clear e'm all out quickly and quietly. If we clear the whole school out, we just scavenge their gear, leave and blow the place sky high."

"Alright then," Ryu agreed, turning to Brain. "How well are our Pipboy Communicators working out here?"

Brain smirked in response. "Considering that I made them, Ryu?" he asked. "_Perfectly._"

Ryu nodded. "Do you think you and Ratchett can rig something up for these two to tap in with?" he asked pointing at Amy and Jaden.

"Easily," Brain informed proudly. "Just give me tonight and I'll have it ready."

"Alright then, looks like we attack tomorrow," Allana informed with a grin.

"And may those Raiders wish they never messed with Megaton or Vault 101." Tank said with a smirk.

* * *

The following morning, Jaden looked down the scope of his .304 Sniper Rifle as he observed the school, with Amy to his side and the other Vault Dwellers behind him "Just like I said, there's about six Raiders guarding the hole." He said, "The door is on the upper level there, so we'll need to pick 'em off before heading in… front door is still unguarded though."

"Right, I'll slip in as you guys take care of them then," Ryu informed as he took a step back. "See ya inside."

"Okay, if we're gonna do this, we gotta do this quick and quiet." Jordan said, "Me and Amy can pick them off from here, the rest of you move up, stick to the shadows and avoid detection. Once we take our first shots, you need to move in _fast _to catch them by surprise and off-guard. If we do this fast enough, we can eliminate them all before they can alert the others inside."

The other nodded as they moved, Tank taking the lead as he led the group closer to the hole. "Alright, I got visual," he informed over the radio. "We've all picked our targets."

"Alright, me and Amy have the two frontal guards." He said, "When I say Mark, hit e'm. Three… two… one… Mark!"

There were two loud _Cracks _in the distance, followed by two Raiders getting their brains splattered across the walls behind them.

Tank rushed forward, bull rushing a Raider carrying a pool cue, the Raider looking like he pissed himself as 6'7" and 315 lbs of pure muscle charged right into him, slamming him into the wall.

Doc fired off several shots from her pistol into the torso of another Raider carrying a 10mm submachine gun, before quickly picking the weapon up as Ratchet fired into the head of a Raider trying to flank her. The Last Radier tried to make a break for the door "We've got-" he began to shout out, but Brain fired his own 10mm Pistol, silencing the Raider before he could get off a warning.

"_Good, front guards eliminated._" Jordan said on the comm. "_Me and Amy are moving up, once we regroup we head inside, start clearing the place out and setting up charges. Make sure you scavenge those bodies for anything useful, Caps, Ammo, Guns, whatever we could use._"

"You got it." Brain said, as he picked up a .32 Revolver from the Raider he killed, along with the ammo he head.

"Couple dozen in caps here," Ratchet informed. "Gave the drugs to Doc."

"Ohh, hello." Tank said, as he picked up an Assault Rifle from one of the Raider guards corpses. "I think this is an R91… three extra clips of 5.61mm Rounds too… I likey."

Ratchet snorted as she picked up a Combat Shotgun. "Keep your spray and pray rifle, I got me a shotty," she informed with a grin.

Jaden and Amy finally met up with them, each of them having put their snipers away, and now wielding a Chinese Type 93 Assault Rifle. "Alright, everyone ready?" Jaden asked.

He got several nods in return as they went up to the door leading inside. "10 bucks says Ryu already has them running scared when we go in," Amata called out.

"That'd be 'Ten Caps' out here, but we'll see." Jaden said as they all gathered around the door, Jaden and Amy moving along the sides as his hand was placed over the knob. With a silent nod, Jaden opened the door as he and Amy were the first inside, rifles drawn and out as they slowly moved inside, the rest of the Vault Dwellers following right behind them.

When they arrived inside the first thing they noticed was the large amounts of old blood staining the walls and floors of the school. "This… this is monstrous..." Doc whispered in horror.

"In the immortal words of Three Dog, Raiders can't be barged or reasoned with." Jaden said, as they moved forward, "And it ain't no use for surrendering, they'll just shoot you anyways. They think Tortue is just a game, and capture people just for shits and giggles as they hang 'em up, nail them to walls and play target practice with 'em… like that guy." Jaden nodded towards - to everyone's horror - what looked like what _use _to be a man - head, hands and feet missing, and what was left of him nailed firmly upon the wall, dried blood trails down the wall he was nailed too.

Doc placed a hand over her mouth as she managed to keep herself from vomiting at the sight. "We should end this, quickly," Tank growled. "As soon as Ryu saw something like this, he probably started playing with them…"

Jaden rose an eyebrow "Define 'playing'?" He asked.

"Well… let's just say whatever he did to Moriarty… these fucks are getting it worse… _far _worse." Brain said, with a slight shiver.

* * *

**Meanwhile - With Ryu**

* * *

(**Start Playing Bernard Herrmann - Twisted Nerve**)

Ryu smirked as he walked through the hallways of Springvale Elementary, his trench knife being spun on his finger as he whistled, screams of fear were heard in front of him as the Raider's panic.

Ever since seeing what these monsters had been doing inside of the school Ryu had been 'playing' with them, slowly killing each one he came across in the most painful ways he could think of, allowing their screams to echo across the school hallways, at first drawing attention from the Raiders, but they slowly learned that the screams were only bait for an even worse fate.

Continuing to whistle Ryu grabbed the blade of his knife before hucking it ahead of him, catching the tendon of a Raider that tried to run, causing the woman to collapse to the ground, she then tried to drag herself away as Ryu leisurely walked up to her and painfully yanked the knife out, pulling a scream of pain from her throat.

Getting down to a single knee on the small of her back to pin her down, Ryu began to slowly drag a knife along her around her upper spine, leaving a long trailing gash before he pulled out a small packet of salt and poured it over the wound, rubbing it in.

The Raider's screams drowned out Ryu whistling as he finished rubbing the salt in before gently pushing his knife in a bit further, jiggling it slightly to that it slid through her ribs, but not penetrating a vital organ, before sharply sliding it towards the side, severing her spine.

Grinning again he stood up and resumed his casual stride towards the Raiders, leaving the crippled Raider behind, his knife once again spinning on his fingers, whistling that uncomfortably creepy tune.

"Where is it _coming _from?!" A Raider somewhere else in the school shouted, as Ryu's whistles began to echo through the halls.

"I can't find the others! I heard gunshots outside!" Another said, "What the _fuck _is going on here?!"

"Call it… house cleaning," Ryu informed in a calm voice that somehow echoed as he stepped into the shadows. "And we're… the Janitors."

"Who fucking said that?!" A Raider shouted, the sound of guns being armed heard. "Where are you?! Come out and fight you bastard!"

"Why should I give _pigs _a chance to fight?" Ryu sneered in response as the pair came into sight, making sure to keep to the shadows. "Because to me, that is all you are, sacrificial pigs to the slaughter."

"Show me your face so I can make you eat those words you fucking coward!" The Raider hissed out, wielding a Combat Shotgun, the other with an Assault Rifle.

Ryu smirked before he began to whistle the tune again, the sound echoing off the walls as the Raiders moved back a bit. Continuing to whistle Ryu slowly made his way around the duo, getting behind them, in a split second he threw his knife into the neck of one Raider before wrapping his arms around the other's neck. "Like sacrificial pigs," Ryu whispered into his ear before snapping his neck.

Dropping the Raider Ryu picked up his knife and wiped the blood off and started moving again, the whistling back on his lips.

* * *

"Where's that whistling coming from?" Jaden asked, as he and the others walked down the halls of Springdale Elementary, hearing an ominous whistling as they continued through, keeping their eyes open for any more Raiders… aside from the ones that were _already _dead around the floor.

"Man, I don't think Ryu's been _this _pissed before," Brain murmured. "Last time he whistled that song he nearly killed the Butch and his gang…"

"The more I keep hearing stuff like this, the more Ryu freaks me out..." Jaden muttered, while Amy giggled a bit as she glanced at Doc.

"I can see why ya love him," she said, as they heard a distant terrified scream of pain "I didn't think anyone could scare Raiders like _this._"

"Honestly… I didn't even fully realize Ryu was capable of all of… well… this," Doc informed giving an abstract wave around them. "I mean, the most pissed off I've seen him was when he almost killed the Overseer, but he stopped himself from doing that."

"The Overseer had to be one hell of an ass then..." Jaden said, as they walked over one… particularly brutal Raider corpse. "Believe me, these Raiders deserve this… probably deserve a lot worse actually, but this'll send a clear message to every Raider in the wasteland to not mess with you guys or Megaton again."

Doc smiled slightly. "I'm not scared of Ryu, just worried about him…" she informed. "Ever since his father left… he's been on a hair trigger…"

"Then let's hope we can find his dad soon." Amy said, putting a reassuring hand on Allana's shoulder, "Once we do, things might finally calm down a bit for you all… once we take care of this place, me and Jaden'll probably help you track him down."

"Really?" Allana asked, a bit surprised. "But what about Megaton?"

"Once Ratchett defuses that Bomb and we take care of these Raiders, the Sheriff and his Deputy's can take care of the place well enough on their own." Jaden said, "Besides, we know most of the DC area pretty well, so you'll need us more."

Doc gave the a relieved smile. "Thank you," she said gratefully, placing a hand over the one Amy had on her shoulder. "Ryu'll be glad to have some help along as well."

"We both owe Ryu for what he's already done for us," Amy said. "We'll do whatever it takes to help him, and all of you to survive and find his dad… " she then smirked slightly, "And I _did _say… I'd repay you _anyway _I can..."

Doc blushed slightly, catching the hidden meaning of her words. "Umm… maybe?" she offered hesitantly.

The discussion was cut short as a Raider came running down one of the halls, but before any of them could draw their weapons, a Knife hit the Raider in the back of the head, as he slid to the floor dead. Appearing from the shadows of the hallway he came from, was none other than Ryu, as he finally stopped whistling, but it was still echoing across the school.

"Haven't seen handiwork like that in a _long _time..." Jaden said nodding, "You sure your dad wasn't a Ninja or something?"

"Nah, Dad was a doctor, taught me a lot about the anatomy of the human body and psychology though," Ryu informed as he grabbed and cleaned off his blade. "Everything else… I learned and practiced myself, I _think _that's all of them, some may be hiding and keeping themselves quiet."

"They'll be dead either way once we blow this place to kingdom come." Jaden said, "If any of them _do _survive, they'll probably be scared so shitless they'll never come back here again..." he then chuckled a bit "Telling tales of the whistling shadow that killed them all."

Ryu gave him a rather… _creepy _closed eye smile in response. "Hm, sounds like a nice person to meet," he informed nonplussed, spinning his knife a bit.

"O-kay, let's worry about the charges." Jordan said, "How many have you planted Ryu? We got three spots so far."

"I threw mine into a cavern they were digging under the school in an attempt to access the Vault," he informed. "Had a lot of Giant Ants in there, should cause a cave in when we blow the charges."

"Alright then, let's get to scavenging then." Jaden said, "We picked up what we could from the bodies you left behind - got a few .32 pistols, Combat Shotguns, Rifles, and Knives… we found a supply room filled with ammo and a few caps, we just need to haul the stuff out and then we can blow this joint."

Ryu nodded. "Tank, grab up and stuff those ammo cases and sling some rifles on your back, we'll split the rest evenly between us," he said. "Rather not have to make multiple trips to be honest."

"You got it." Tank said, as he headed towards the ammo crates to stuff them with every drop of ammo and grenade they had found.

"We should split up in teams of two, cover the rest of the school." Jaden said, as he glanced at his watch. "We grab what we can carry, then we regroup outside the school in 15 minutes. Run into any trouble before them, holler out on the radio."

Ryu nodded and gestured for three to follow him, with Doc, Amata and - surprisingly - Amy falling in after him. "I think your sister has a crush," Ratchet informed as she watched them jog away.

"Believe me, I'm as surprised as you are." Jaden said as he moved with Ratchet and Amata as Brain stuck with Tank. "Considering Amy's… career choice, I didn't think she'd actually fall for a single guy… or girl."

"Wait…" Amata paused. "Strange question, what if it was both?"

"Honestly it wouldn't surprise me," Jaden said shrugging, "Amy's… adventures that way. She'd find a way to make it work assuming Allana and Ryu feel the same… "

"Hard to tell with those two sometimes," Ratchet commented. "Hell, no one even realized they were a couple until Doc outright kissed him in front of everyone and they weren't even trying to hide it."

"Life in that Vault must've been… interesting." Jaden said, "I've always wondered what it was like… without needing to hunt for food or stuff like that, always having purified water ready… but I guess I just gotta deal with what I get, right?"

"It… it was harder than you might think," Amata informed. "My father was so domineering… worrying about if the water chips were going to fail, it's nowhere near an Eden…"

"Eden?" Jaden asked, "What do you mean by that? And who was your dad, sounds like he was a big figure in there… wait, don't tell me he was..."

"Yup - my dad was the Overseer." Amata said with a sigh, "Always getting the special treatment, and everyone ganging up on me 'cause of it… and then _he's _just working to make it worse, trying to groom me for leadership… the last thing I want to do is grow up and be like _him!_ Especially after what he did when Ryu's dad left!"

"Well, he sure as hell won't be able to get ya now." Jaden said with a reassuring smile, "And don't worry about special treatment out here - in the wasteland, we're all just survivors… in one way or another, though some like Tenpenny would try to disagree."

"Tenpenny?" Ratchet asked curiously. "Who's that?"

Jaden let out a small growl "Mr Allistair Tenpenny… probably one of the richest people here in the Wastelands." He said, "He's got himself set up in Tenpenny Tower further up north in the wasteland… he's well fortified, and he only lets in people who pay to stay in that hotel of his - he and his right-hand man Mr. Burke run the place, and are usually the ones who end up employing Talon Company to do their dirty work… I've been wanting to get a shot off on those bastards for a while now after what Burke tried to pull off..."

"What was that?" Amata asked.

"He tried to set off the Nuke in Megaton." Jaden answered.

"What, _why?_" Ratchet asked. "I mean, I'm all for a good nuclear explosion, but with non-monstrous _people _caught within it?"

"From what Burke said before he escaped after me and Amy caught him… 'cause Tenpenny thought it was an eyesore from on top of his tower." Jaden growled out. "He thinks its 'uncivilized', and that's all the reason he needs. He thinks blowing the town up would be 'for the betterment of the wasteland'... asshole, shoulda shot him when I had the chance..."

"I agree from the sounds of it…" Ratchet mutter before an unholy light glinted in her eyes. "Hey, could I set off a improvised nuclear device in his tower, just to see his face as it crumbles around him?"

"Nah… I'd like to spare the Tower." Jaden said, "There's a band of non-feral ghouls nearby who've been wanting to live there… Tenpenny says no way no how, but I hope one of these days when the old coot decides to up and die, Ghouls could be welcomed there… "

"Darn," Ratchet pouted. "There's a perfectly good nuclear device there and I can't use it to make explosives… talk about dashing a young maiden's dream."

"If I find a place where you _can _use it - I'll let ya know." Jaden said with a short chuckle. "I'm sure there's an asshole out there somewhere who could use an Atom bomb dropped on e'm… or a Mininuke."

"A Wha?" Ratchet asked.

"Oh yeah, Mini-nuke launcher." Jaden said, "Its a pretty rare weapon, but it basically launches small miniature nuclear warheads… think of it as a compact version of the Davy Crockett launcher from the 1950's. Basically… you get hit by that thing, you're dead - no exceptions… hell I've heard rumors of there being a M.I.R.V variant out there somewhere that shoots _multiple _mini-nukes at once."

A vice like grip forced Jaden to stop as he was soon turned to face the unholy glee that shone on Ratchet's face. "We. Are. Finding. It. Understood?" she questioned, her head tilting unnaturally.

"Uhh...s-sure..." Jaden said, somewhat regretting he had told her about that in the first place.

The crackle that came from her throat did absolutely nothing to assuage that regret.

* * *

**With Ryu's Group**

* * *

In near perfect synchronization Ryu and Doc both shuddered as one. "I think Ratchet learned of something _very _explosive," Ryu commented.

"Yes… yes she has..." Allana said with a sigh. "May god help whoever gets in her way..."

"Just pray its not a Mini-nuke launcher..." Amy muttered, causing both Ryu and Allana to look at her oddly. "What?"

"Mini-nuke… launcher?" Ryu asked.

"Yeah, miniaturized nuke launcher, most just call it the Fat Man after the bomb they dropped in Japan in WWII." Amy said, "'Bout the size of an average missile launcher… they're very rare though. Only ones who have them that I know of are the Brotherhood of Steel I think."

"Oh dear god we are all doomed if Ratchet finds one," Ryu informed in complete seriousness. "I fear what horrifying upgrades she and Brain could make to that thing if they get their hands on one."

"Then hope or pray she doesn't then." Amy said, "Thankfully, the BoS do a good job keeping advance tech like that out of random people's hands along with energy weapons and power armor."

"Who is the Brotherhood of Steel?" Allana asked as they entered another room, filled with bits of ammo and supplies.

"They're remnants from the US Army so I've heard." Amy said, as they began scavenging through the supplies. "They're primary goal originally was just to collect advance pieces of technology, keeping them out of the hands of anyone who'd misuse them. Power Armor, Energy Weapons, stuff like that. But their current leader, Elder Lyons, decided to help pacify the D.C area since its filled with Super Mutants, who are suppose to be exclusive further west, not here in D.C."

"'Course not all of the BoS members liked that," Amy said as she picked up a Hunting Rifle "A group of them decided to just say 'screw you' and deserted to continue the BoS's original mission… Lyons calls them the Brotherhood Outcast. If you see guys in Black and Red T-45d Power Armor, stay clear - they won't shoot you, but they're a bunch of asses really… even though Jaden still loves their armor colors. If they're wearing Grey armor though, those are Lyon's forces, and they're much more friendly. We've helped actually them out a bit from time to time during our own trips into the D.C area, especially Lyon's Pride."

Ryu let out a hum in response, stooping to pick up an assault rifle. "Dad may have gotten into contact with them at some point then…" he mused. "Should probably look them up if Rivet City doesn't pan out."

"Wouldn't be surprised," Amy said, "Dad said BoS used to be stationed close to the Jefferson Memorial next to Rivet… not sure what they were doing over there though, but they built a pretty big base there, but they all left about twenty or so years ago… last time me and Jaden were at Rivet, the memorial looked overrun by Super Mutants."

"I've heard you mention them before, what are Super Mutants?" Doc asked curiously.

"You remember your friend Tank?" Amy asked, "Make him a full foot taller, double his muscle size, paint him green and give him either a sledgehammer or a Minigun and you'll get a Super Mutant. From what our friends in BoS say, they were once humans before they got mutated somehow… they sure as hell ain't smart, but they make up for that by having ungodly strength. They've been raising hell in the DC area, the few people they don't kill and mutilate into sacks of gore they capture and drag back to god knows where."

"Huh, better try to steer clear of them, or try and find where they drag their captives," Ryu muttered

"If we're gonna find your dad, we're probably gonna be running into quite a few of 'em." Amy said, "They're all over DC, and me and Jaden had our own close calls with them before… I wish we did know where they were from, but BoS has no idea… the only hint we ever got was from Leo."

"Who?" Ryu asked, and Amy smiled nostalgically.

"Quite simply… the only super mutant me and Jaden ever met who _didn't _shoot us on sight." She said, "He's peaceful… never harm a boafly. We still run into him from time to time… he said he came from a 'cold dark metal place'... that's the only hint he ever gave us as to where he and the other mutants come from."

Ryu hummed in response. "Going to have to come up with some forward scouting tactics then," he muttered. "And find safe hideouts to use on the road…"

"There aren't that many safe places here in the wastelands..." Amy muttered, "We use to think Megaton was as safe as it could get… then Mom died… dad left… it changed a lot of things… both for me and my brother..."

"Why did your dad leave?" Ryu asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I wish I knew… he just up and left." Amy said shrugging. "It was a year after mom died in a really bad Raider attack… he grieved like we all did, but we moved on… but one day he just… left over night, leaving us the deed to our house, enough supplies to keep us going, and all of his and mom's books... he left us a note, saying he had unfinished business somewhere… the main reason me and Jaden explore so much is that we're looking for him, 'cause maybe… just maybe we can find a trace of him..." Amy fought back a few tears. "We just… we just miss him… "

"Well, maybe we'll find something when we're looking for Ryu's dad," Doc said encouragingly, placing a comforting hand on Amy's shoulder. "After all, he's bound to have left a trail somewhere."

"Maybe..." Amy muttered, "After searching for so long… I feel like we've searched every nook and cranny of the wastelands… and we're never any closer to finding him..."

"We'll find him, Amy," Doc assured, hugging Amy. "I promise." Amy was a bit surprised by the hug, before she smiled a bit before she began to return it.

"Maybe… thanks..." she said.

Ryu smirked back at the two of them, wondering how in the hell such a sweet person like Allana was even interested in a man such as himself given how he seemed to naturally be drawn towards the… violent solution. Shaking his head, he shook himself out of those thoughts. "I think we've got everyone in this area," he informed them. "We should head back to meet with the others."

* * *

**Half an hour later - Outside**

* * *

"Alright, in three… two… one… HIT IT RACHET!"

"KABOOM!" Ratchet shouted as she giddily squeezed the C4 Detonator, and was rewarded by the sound of a large explosion before dust and debris exploded out of the school, followed by a loud creaking sound before the school almost looked as if it imploded on itself as it collapsed into a neat pile.

"School's out For-ever!" Jaden shouted, pumping a fist into the air. "Damn its been a while since I've seen a boom like that! WOHOO!"

"Have you ever even been to school?" Ryu asked looking at Jaden skeptically.

"Homeschooled? Yes. But that's aside the point." Jaden said chuckling as he looked at all of their loot. "We got a shtton of supplies here… whatever we don't need we could sell to caravans and Craterside and make some more caps! I think we'll be set for quite a while when we head out into DC."

"Dibs on the explosives!" Ratchet shouted instantly, letting out a nerve wracking chuckle. "Oh the things I can do with you…"

Amy giggled a bit "Oh, I have a feeling the wasteland is going to change _a lot _with you guys around..." she said.

Ryu shrugged, looking off into the distance. "I may have a few ideas," he informed. "But anyways, let's get this back and divy this up."

"You got it." Jaden said as they picked up their loot, and headed towards megaton. "Just another day here in the wastes I suppose..."

"One of many," Allana commented, gripping Ryu's hand. "But hey, at least we got each other."

"That's the key for surviving out here in the wasteland." Jaden said nodding. "united we stand, divided we fall."

Tank laughed merrily. "Let's see them try and make us fall!" he shouted challengingly. "I'll go fist to fist with those Super Mutants you talked about."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Jaden said, "Megaton first, _then _we worry about that."

The group continued on their way as they headed back to Megaton. Just another day for the vault dwellers of Vault 101.

* * *

**117Jorn: And there we go! The re-write to Dragonknightryu's fanfic 'Squad 101'! Just doing things a _bit _differently here. **

**DKR: Here, instead of just a squad… they plan to go a bit… bigger.**

**117Jorn: How bigger you might ask? Well… you'll see. Until next time…**

**Both: Ja Ne! **


End file.
